US National Security

The U.S. and the Greater Middle EastElection 2012: The National Security AgendaOn Tuesday, July 17, the New America Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Center for a New American Security held an in-depth discussion of the opportunities

Men at Work: Rebuilding Afghanistan's Highway OneThe New America Foundation's National Security Studies Program held a conversation with Xavier Cronin, author of The Asphalt Ribbon of Afghanistan, on the circumstances surrounding the long, costly U.S. eff

Kill or Capture:The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama PresidencyThe New America Foundation's National Security Studies Program held this conversation with senior Newsweek correspondent Daniel Klaidman, the author of a recent book on U.S. national se

Witness to a Revolution:Documenting Visits to Libya, Egypt, and SyriaThe attack on the American mission in Benghazi once again highlighted the dangers the United States faces in a tumultuous region. The post-revolutionary government is too weak to impose

Talking to the TalibanThe New America Foundation's National Security Studies Program held a conversation with award-winning author Anatol Lieven. He discussed his talks in July with figures close to the Taliban and the views they expressed on the contours

Is Al-Qaeda Defeated? An Experts' DebateIn Collaboration with the Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesWhile some counterterrorism analysts and officials say that U.S. military efforts over the past 11 years have resulted in the defeat of al-Qaeda, others

Fortress IsraelAs footage of rocket attacks in Israel and Gaza once again fill television screens around world, we are reminded of how flammable the Israeli/Palestinian issue remains today. Former New York Times Chief Correspondent Patrick Tyler argues in

Inside SyriaBy some estimates, the violent conflict wracking Syria has taken almost 40,000 lives since it began in March 2011. The world has been able to experience a portion of the horror alongside Syrian civilians through the footage and images of the f

The Last Refuge: Yemen, Al-Qaeda, and America's War in ArabiaOver the past few years, U.S. counterterrorism officials have frequently highlighted the blows America has dealt to al-Qaeda, especially those to its central command in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

What Can Data Tell Us About Trends in Terrorism?Please join us as we announce the findings of the inaugural Global Terrorism Index.The first-ever Global Terrorism Index (GTI) provides a metric for policymakers to track terrorism and its related factors in

Talibanistan:Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and ReligionThe longest war the United States has ever fought is the ongoing war in Afghanistan. But when refer to "Afghanistan," we really mean a conflict that straddles the border with Pakis

America's Indefinitely DetainedJanuary 11, 2013 will mark 11 years since the United States opened the Guantánamo Bay Detention Center. Almost 800 suspected militants have been held at the prison in that time. Despite the White House's refrain that the adm

Ecological Cooperation in South Asia:The Way ForwardThe greatest economic damage endured by South Asia since 2001 has not been due to terrorism, but rather due to environmental disasters such as the Indus floods of 2010, seasonal water shortages, and drou

Afghanistan 2014: Planning for the TransitionMany wonder if Afghanistan can succeed as a stable, self-sustaining country when NATO completes its combat mission at the end of 2014. Afghanistan continues to rely on massive amounts of foreign aid, and its fl

Invisible ArmiesThough often considered unconventional, guerrilla warfare has been the predominant form of warfare throughout human history. In his new book, Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present, Max Boo

Talking to TerroristsSince September 11, we have struggled to determine why individuals become radicalized by certain ideas and eventually engage in terrorism. Despite the amount of research into this issue, no one has identified a concrete explanation fo

The Secretary:A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American PowerIn November 2008, Hillary Clinton agreed to work for her former rival. As President Barack Obama's secretary of state, she set out to repair America's image around the

Takedown: Inside the Hunt for Al QaedaOn September 11, 2001, as Central Intelligence Agency analyst Philip Mudd rushed out of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, he could not anticipate how the terror unleashed that day would

Auditing AfghanistanThe United States has spent tens of billions of dollars on the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, and making sure that money goes where it is supposed to go has been one of the toughest jobs of the conflict. As America transitions c

Drone Wars: Counterterrorism and Human RightsIn Collaboration with the American Society of International LawOn March 15, Ben Emmerson, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counterterrorism, released a statement that categorically declared the CIA

Jihad and Politics in North AfricaFrench intervention in Mali earlier this year quickly dislodged insurgents from their strongholds in the northern part of the country, but even before victory had been secured, Paris began making moves to bring its troops

What's Next for Pakistan's New Government?On May 11, Pakistanis turned out to the polls in record numbers to vote in a momentous election: the country's first transition from one democratically elected government to another. The party of former two-time p

Online Radicalization: Myths and RealitiesIn Collaboration with The Muslim Public Affairs CouncilThe Boston Marathon attacks thrust the issue of online radicalization to the front and center of the debate about homegrown violent extremism in the United St